A Thanksgiving Meal with gladness and sincerity of heart
A Day to Remember all the good things, That the Kindness of life to us brings For into our busy, oft mundane days Has poured the gleam of His glorious rays Lighting our way as the blessings flow down How could we sit there, face all a frown? Speak up at your table with gratitude To the One who s provided such plenitude
A Bit of History Brings the Reality of Thanksgiving into Living Color The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving The Primitive Pattern taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, thanking God The Pilgrim Fathers we all admire so greatly were men of high aspirations. They were trying to get their religion to return to what they termed the primitive pattern of the first-century church. They had read the Scriptural accounts (such as Acts 2 & 4) describing the life of love demonstrated in the daily life of the early church. They were sad to see the state of the church in their day which had become huge and powerful and brutal. They felt that the Church of Rome had gone far astray from the pattern of the early church. Though the Church adored the Virgin Mary, they neglected to imitate her own way of life.
Protestant Reformation The Pilgrim Fathers had also been very disappointed by the recent movement of their times those protesting the Roman church, and calling for its Reformation. For sadly, it seemed to them that what the Protestants created when they re-formed the church looked far too much like the old church they had so violently protested. So, the Separatists made the decision to separate from both the old and the reformed churches. Thus, they were called the Separatists. During the latter half of the sixteenth century (1550-1600), the population of England had divided into three sects the Conformists, the Puritans, and the Separatists. The Conformists conformed to the powers that be, claiming that the church authority (either Catholic or Protestant, depending on the whim of the reigning monarch at the time) was the supreme authority in all earthly matters. The Puritans were in and of the established church, but objected to many of the ceremonies, such as the ring in marriage, the sign of the cross in baptisms, showy vestments, receiving evildoers to the sacrament of communion, etc. They were protesting for reform within the church, but opposed separation from the established church as a deadly sin. Puritan ministers were censured and subjected to heavy fines. The settlers who moved into
the Boston area, called the Massachusetts Bay Colony, were Puritans, and must be differentiated from those called Separatists. Puritans had no intention of separating from the Church of England. On the other hand, the Separatists who landed at Plymouth Rock did not recognize the established church. In their homeland of England, the Separatists had been cruelly persecuted under Queen Mary (the Catholic queen who ruled from 1553-1558). It got no better for them under Queen Elizabeth (1567-1569), when an entire congregation of Separatists was thrown into prison in London. Those men and women died from the horrors of their prison stay. While in prison, they were allowed neither clothing nor food, and subsisted upon donations that came through their jailers. The few Puritans who experienced similar persecutions were mostly outspoken clergymen, whose prison life was comparatively mild. According to accounts written by William Bradford (the famous Pilgrim Father), the Separatists suffered not only from the persecutions of the established church, but encountered also the sharp invective of the Puritans as well. These influential Puritan clergy stirred up not only hostility at home, but even prejudiced the reformed clergy of other European countries against the Separatist refugees. During the period from 1660 to 1688, over 60,000 dissenters were cast into English prisons. It finally became clear to the Pilgrim Fathers that their attempts to establish the same Primitive
Pattern of love and brotherhood as the first century church had failed to take root on European soil. The door to a New World now beckoned to them. Despite a difficult voyage and the excessive hardships of that first winter in America that claimed half of their number, they did not give up. They were already men and women who had become well acquainted with suffering. The graveyard looming over the newly settled, struggling Plymouth Colony testified that these Pilgrims were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to see that Primitive Pattern be given a chance in the new world. Unfortunately, as time passed, the zeal for this cause faded as the cares and worries of life encompassed the young colony. Though they gained the freedom to worship as they desired, they never attained that elusive dream of following the primitive pattern. The pumpkin was among the fruits of the first Thanksgiving celebration of the Pilgrims; it has been a favorite for pies in autumn festivities ever since. Squashes (such as the pumpkin), corn, and lima beans were the chief crops cultivated by Native Americans.
Jean de La Fontaine writer of French Fables A Fable of La Fontaine The Acorn and the Pumpkin God s works are good. This truth to prove Around the world I need not move; I do it by the nearest pumpkin. This fruit so large, on vine so small, Surveying once, exclaimed a bumpkin What could He mean who made us all? He s left this pumpkin out of place. If I had ordered in the case, On that oak it should have hung A noble fruit as ever swung To grace a tree so firm and strong. Indeed, it was a great mistake, As this discovery teaches, That I myself did not partake His counsels whom my curate preaches.
All things had then in order come; This acorn, for example, Not bigger than my thumb, Had not disgraced a tree so ample. The more I think, the more I wonder To see outraged proportion s laws, And that without the slightest cause; God surely made an awkward blunder. With such reflections proudly fraught, Our sage grew tired of mighty thought, And threw himself on Nature s lap, Beneath an oak, to take his nap. Plump on his nose, by lucky hap, An acorn fell: he waked, and in The matted beard that graced his chin, He found the cause of such a bruise As made him different language use. O! O! he cried; I bleed! I bleed! And this is what has done the deed! But, truly, what had been my fate, Had this had half a pumpkin s weight! I see that God had reasons good, And all his works well understood. Thus home he went in humbler mood.
The Pilgrim Separatists followed after The Pattern of the First Church And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, thanking God, and having favor with all the people. (Acts 2:46-47) Gladness and sincerity of heart is the phrase used by the writers of the Scriptures to describe the first New Testament believers. After the tragedy and triumph of their Savior, they continued on with the vision He imparted to them. Together they embarked to live a life that would be the light of the world. They were bound together in an eternal bond. Eating Together Thus, as their life continued, they were endued with a spirit that caused them to no longer go their separate ways,
but to fulfill the new command He had given them: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34). These words of His were freshly burning in their hearts. And in describing this first little group of believers which by the way included very famous people such as the apostle Peter (later called the first Pope ), the apostle John, the apostle James, and the even His own mother Mary the writer says that the most outstanding thing about them was: They were of one mind, they broke bread from house to house, and they were taking their meals together. Now, why would it be so noteworthy to mention that part about their meals? Why does it matter so much about their meals? Everyone eats meals, many do it three times a day. But it must have been extremely important that those meals were no longer lonely feeding times, but had become a very together time. You do not eat meals together with those you do not like. They took their meals together and they were really happy full of gladness. And it was not just putting on a show, because the writer added, with sincerity of heart. Sincerity of Heart Sincerity is defined as honesty, with integrity, without hypocrisy. Those first disciples were not instructed to take their meals together they were instructed to love one another. They were not instructed to be glad and sincere, they were instructed to love. There are not any written directives for the way of life the first disciples chose, but it is clearly written that their Master taught them many times what the greatest of God s commandments was to love one another. 10
So, in their desire to keep His commandments, a lifestyle resulted that was described clearly in the first century. They shared all they had together, living communally. A Wonderful Life of Faith In imitating these early disciples of the first century church many movements have come and gone. The Separatist Movement from which came our beloved Pilgrim Forefathers was one of the most noteworthy. The arrival of the Separatist Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock heralded a break from the religious intolerance that had ruled Europe for so long. Though the Pilgrims desire to plant in this new land a society based on the primitive pattern was not fulfilled, they cherished the hope that their high ideals might be used as stepping stones for those who would come after them. The Separatists early writings preserve their deep conviction to see the life of love described in the New Testament once again take root in the good soil of this New Land. So, it should be no surprise to us then when we see those beautiful depictions of the early settlers sitting down together at a big table when the blessing of their first plentiful harvest came in. They shared together with their Native American friends the blessing, just as described in the primitive pattern (Acts 2 & 4) taking their meals together, with gladness and sincerity of heart, thanking God. Thus, they celebrated their famous Thanksgiving meal. 11
May your table be blessed with true thanksgiving